Handling Success as Important as Handling Failure

Over the weekend, several NFL television commentators discussed the issue of parity in the league.  As a result of a topsy turvy first 3 weeks of the 2013 season, these experts felt that many teams, coaches and players were not preparing themselves adequately from week to week.  The number of upsets by underdogs was considered as evidence of a lack of focus on the part of the favorites, not just the parity between teams. Their take on it was that many teams were having a difficult time dealing with early season success. Complacency and arrogance were likely to derail the most talented teams. according to the commentators. Early season success was followed by thoughts that all these teams had to do was show up against weaker opponents to take home the win.  It was pointed out that every NFL team can be beaten by every other NFL team on any given Sunday. Taking a team lightly is risky for any team at this point in the season.  

It is easy to see how early season losses can be demoralizing or, perhaps, help re-orient a team; however, on the surface, it is more difficult to see how winning can derail or stop momentum and distract a team as well.

My experience is that many elite athletes and teams have as much or more difficulty bouncing back from a win as they do bouncing back from a defeat.  Both wins and losses are risky in that they each require athletes to refocus equally after a game or any competition, regardless of the outcome.

Some athletes are more likely to understand that they can learn more from a loss than any win than others. Too often, complacency can occur when players feel post-game satisfaction but do not feel motivated to seek to improve on a win.  A defeat is often able to get our attention much more effectively than winning is able to do.  However, it is important to learn from success as well as failure.

Emotional resilience (which I have written about a great deal in recent blog posts) is typically associated with the adversity of defeat.  For mental conditioning to be optimally effective, we must consider true emotional resilience to also include how to deal with success.  How to sustain focus in the wake or success is more difficult that we typically think.  Complacency after a win is as commonplace as demoralization after a loss.  

Next time you feel the exhilaration of success; celebrate, enjoy, relax, and then, get back to work, analyze, debrief, learn and focus on the next challenge.

The Surprisingly Mature Leadership of Jason Giambi

“His leadership, his presence, for me not to use that, I would be an idiot. I’ve leaned on him so much. He’s not making enough money, I tell him that all the time. He’s the best influence on players I’ve ever seen — ever, and I’ve been around some pretty good ones.”  

--Terry Francona, manager of the Cleveland Indians, talking about the value that Jason Giambi provides to his team.  

Terry Francona has been a player, coach, minor league manager, and a major league manager for 13 years. In all that time, Francona said last week, he had never met a person like Jason Giambi.

The Cleveland Indians are currently 86-70 this season, and have been in the thick of the division, wild-card and playoff races.  He has hit 8 home runs and has driven in 29 runs in limited playing time behind starter, Carlos Santana.

Giambi, 42, a designated hitter for the Indians, is the oldest position player in the major leagues. He weathered a steroid scandal earlier in his career to become a respected veteran who was a strong candidate last winter to be the manager of the Colorado Rockies. Ultimately, the Rockies hired Walt Weiss as their manager. So Giambi decided to continue his career as a designated hitter — and unofficial captain — for Francona’s Indians. And, he has Francona's back.

“I kind of call myself the ‘Protector.' I protect what he cares about, which is playing the game hard, playing the game right, making sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. Tito and I are one in the same. I care about my teammates like he cares about his team." 

“Every single guy — from the Latin players to the white guys to the black guys — I’m tight with everybody. I get to care about them with no ulterior motives. I just want to see them succeed. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and I want them to turn into the best players they can, because I truly believe that’s the gift you give back to this game.” 

--Jason Giambi. 

Who knew that Jason Giambi would eventually grow up?  Does your team have a Jason Giambi?

Excerpts taken from nytimes.com (9/22/2013).  

Mental Conditioning: Teaching Resilience and Recovery

The common notion is that sports psychology and mental conditioning are about developing athletes' mental toughness and designing the perfect athlete.

Practically speaking, my experience with the most effective techniques in working with athletes involves the development of the proper mindset for success.  For an athlete to develop total mental toughness, he/she must be able to deal with adversity effectively.  This ability is less about striving for perfection and more about developing emotional resilience.  This coping skill includes the ability to use mistakes, failures and losses as learning opportunities and moments for improvement and growth.  This is particularly true of the activities involved in the training and development of young athletes.  

The ability to learn from setbacks and recover from failure is a key component of a champions' mindset.   To understand this aspect of mental conditioning, one must understand the key difference between practice and competition.  During practice as well as game situations, athletes must be able to bounce back quickly; however, during practice, athletes must be encouraged and be willing to be more vulnerable to mistakes and failures as various drills and rehearsals are attempted.   Practice is the time to get out of one's comfort zone.   Practice is the time for learning.  Games are the time to perform.

Practice is a time for expectations to be about rehearsal, refinement and adjustments.  Game situations and competition should be about execution.  Too often, coaches as well as athletes maintain the same expectations for games as they do for practices.  This can create much confusion and anxiety in both coaches and athletes.

Coaches must take the time to understand the difference in situations and take into account when they are developing and shaping performance versus when they are in execution mode.

Are you always clear about the distinction between training goals and performance goals?      

Mark Spitz and the Practice/Performance Distinction

“During the time of of practice and training, it’s 80% physical and 20% mental; but one the gun goes off it’s the opposite: 80% mental and only 20% physical.”

--Mark Spitz, American Olympic swimming champion and winner of 7 gold medals in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. 

This quote highlights the essential value of mental conditioning.  Preparation and deliberate practice is about training the body and creating strong muscle memory.  Mental conditioning concerns itself with learning the skills for quieting the brain and allowing the body to perform at its most efficient during competition events. 

Sports psychologists focus on the unique difference between training/development events and performance events.  Practice is practice and competition is competition.  Practice is for learning, challenging, tweaking, and making adjustments.  Repetition is the key component of training.  

Performance events are for execution.  There should be little in the way of new learning taking place.  This the place to quiet the brain.   

Many athletes and coaches emphasize mental toughness as a prerequisite for success.  While mental toughness is necessary for success, it is also true that quieting the brain is also necessary for peak performance.   

Do you have the skills to quiet your brain for peak performance?     

The Truth about Self-Confidence in Sports

One of the most over-used concepts in sports and performance psychology is self-confidence. Nevertheless, this concept holds considerable legitimacy and power as a key ingredient in success and winning in sports, politics, business, and life.

The limitations of this concept lies in the individualistic nature of its use.  When we think if self-confidence, our view remains within the confines of the individual athlete.  Though some sports are obviously team sports and some are individual sports, the burden to maximize self-confidence lies in the individual performer.

Individually, perhaps no one had more self-confidence that Muhammad Ali, an individual boxer. We consider professional tennis players Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, the Williams sisters, and Maria Sharapova to have supreme self-confidence.  At the team sport level, we have assumed for years that the Chicago Bulls lived off of the off-the-chart self-confidence of Michael Jordan. Most people believe, that the New England Patriots live off the self-confidence of  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.  Andy Murray, the new men's Wimbledon champion, is the new poster boy for self-confidence.   

Regardless of the sport, mental conditioning coaches and sports psychologist talk about self-confidence and mental toughness primarily in individual terms and typically intervene at the individual level.  Though somewhat effective, perhaps the truth of confidence lies at the group or organization level and beyond.  Even individual athletes in individual sports have coaches, trainers, agents, caddies, families, etc.  

If self-confidence is affected by how unsure an individual feels as a result of each setback or barrier to success, then their individual mindset is the unit of measure.  This maintains the burden to remove that feeling on the individual, and, perhaps, his or her willing to be influenced by others (coaches, teammates, fans, etc,). The ultimate focus and burden lies on his self-confidence and his performance.  

Self-confidence is commonly defined as the sureness of feeling that the individual (even if a part of a team) is equal to his or her task at hand.  The media and the fans as well as coaches and players tend to see the problem of self-confidence to ultimately lie at the individual level.  

A better definition of confidence is one offered by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.  It is the ability to envision a positive outcome.  This definition of confidence does not contain the limits of the individual but focuses on the outcome.    

But let's look at this systemically.  What if confidence were not placed at the feet of individuals to be collected individually like bowling scores?  What if the real burden of confidence and success were shared by all of the major stakeholders of the team, the players and the coaches as a collective entity?  

What if there were a greater collective score, called Collective Team Confidence, multiplied by the alchemy of all stakeholders in the outcome of a practice session, a game or a season?  Then, confidence would not be held in small buckets with little influence or interaction with other amounts in other buckets. Confidence would be free to interact, to influence the entire team, as a whole through their collective sense of confidence.    

With this new mindset, the responsibility for the level of confidence and, therefore, performance, could placed at a higher level, a more effective level:  at the system level, the social or community level. What if we really begin locate, measure, and hold the larger entity with the responsibility and burden of performance?   Then, confidence would no longer be held at the level of the individual athlete.

For example, if an individual athlete were no longer the locus of confidence, he would also no longer individually responsible for exihibiting, maintaining, and evaluating their level of confidence at a micro level. What if their swagger or the vibe they project was no longer the measuring stick. What if their individual play, through the ebb and flow of individual performance, mistakes, missteps and moment-by-moment was no longer the unit of measure or all to praise or ridicule. What if confidence were managed at the macro level.    
Experts in the field have concluded that Confidence is effected by six factors:  

• Performance Accomplishments
• Involvement in the Success of Others
• Verbal persuasion
• Imagery Experiences
• Psychological States
• Emotional States

Performance accomplishments are the strongest contributor to sport confidence. However, if we only see this happening or only evaluate this factor at the individual level, through individual scores, individual statistics, and individual accomplishment, we leave much to chance and leave much collective confidence on the table. Particularly, only team success should breed confidence, while only repeated team failure should diminish it. Individual self-confidence would then have little to do with it.   

Individuals who experience success while being involved with the success of others can also significantly bolster collective confidence.  It is contagious, regardless of the individual talent levels of the teammates.  

Verbal persuasion involves attempting to change the attitudes and behavior of those around us, and this includes changing their self-confidence. In sports, coaches often try to boost confidence by convincing individual athletes that the challenge ahead is within their individual capabilities: ‘I know you’re a great player so keep your head up and play hard!’  However, if confidence is not centered on the individual but the collective group, the task is more manageable and, once again, relies on contagion.  

Imagery experiences have to do with athletes recreating multi-sensory images of successful performance in their mind. This imagery also should be team rather than individually focused. Imagery that is focused on the team is more likely to be successful and less dependent on the abilities of accurate evaluation by the individual. Through creating such valuable team mental representations, mastery of a particular team task is far more likely. 

If the responsibility for confidence mistakenly lies with the individual, then, the physiological state of anxiety can quickly reduce feelings of confidence.  This anxiety in turn can affect performance through phenomena such as muscular tension, palpitations and butterflies in the stomach.  The psychological and emotional states that negatively affect performance at the individual level can be controlled more easily if the responsibility for confidence lies with and is shared by the team and the entire organization.

When we look closely at the concept of confidence in this way, it is much easier to manage and master.  

Next time you consider Self-Confidence in sports, consider Collective Team Confidence instead.  

  


  

Derek Jeter: Peak Performance Case Study

"I don't know what it would be like, but I wouldn't change. Now don't get me wrong. I do understand it's a game of numbers and people are going to pay attention to your numbers, say you did this or did that. I would love to hit .400. That would be a lot better than .200. You take pride in how you play. But that shouldn't be your main focus. Your main focus should be whether you win or lose."
-- Derek Jeter, New York Yankee shortstop, discussing his attitude about winning and success.

In 2005, Derek Jeter hit .343 with 97 runs batted in and had a .417 on-base percentage. In 2006, he hit .381 with runners in scoring positions, had 14 home runs and, again, had 97 runs batted in.

"Everybody has always said that Jeter has all these intangibles and you can't measure him because he's got these other qualities that don't translate into numbers. But I thought this was the year (2006) you really could measure what he meant to the Yankees."

--Bob Klapisch, Hackensack, New Jersey columnist.

Relaxing with Derek Jeter: Success by Keeping It Simple and Cool

"You can tell he enjoys every aspect of the game. The good, the bad and the ugly, he thoroughly enjoys all of it."
--Doug Mientkiewicz, Yankee teammate.

From August 20, 2006 through May 3, 2007, Jeter had at least one hit in 59 of 61 games. That stretch began with a 25-game hitting streak, 14-game streak and a 20 game hitting streak. Since 1900 only one other player has had as many as 59 of 61 games with a hit. That was Joe DiMaggio who hit safely in 60 of 61 games in 1941, when he had his still-record 56 game hitting streak.

As of May 13, 2007, Jeter was leading the American League in hitting (.368) and hits with 50, despite the Yankees' poor start as a team.

With two outs and runners in scoring position early that season, Jeter hit .600, with nine hits in 15 at-bats, an indication of his pressure production and focus.

Leading the Yankees into the playoffs in 2007, Jeter finished the season batting .322, with 206 hits, 12 homeruns, and 73 runs batted in.

A Kid's Dream: To Be the Best Clutch Hitter of His Generation 

Timely Hits in Key Situations

"Even when you're a little kid you think about those situations. Every time you envision yourself in those situations, you come through. ... I like those situations," says Jeter, the long-time Yankee shortstop and team captain.

On September 16, 2007 Derek Jeter hit a three-run homer off Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox to break an eighth-inning tie as the Yankees held off the Red Sox 4-3 and cut Boston's AL East lead to 4 1/2 games.

"It's an honor to watch the best clutch hitter in history do his thing, and the best closer in history do his thing," said Roger Clemens, who in his first start since Sept. 3 dueled Schilling to a 1-all tie before leaving after six innings. "Jeter is one of the reasons that I got up off the couch and came back."

Jeter is batting .441 with runners in scoring position and two outs -- the best mark in the majors in 2007.

Schilling (8-8) outlasted Clemens but couldn't beat Jeter, who drove a 2-2 splitter over the Green Monster to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera, in typical fashion, held on, even after Boston cut the deficit to one and loaded the bases in the ninth.

Excerpts from ESPN.com.

Derek Jeter Continues to Have an Impact on the Yankees in the 2009 Playoffs

Captain October

VISION

"Our goal when we come into the season is to win a championship. That's how it is every year. You don't go home and celebrate regular-season championships. You don't go home and celebrate getting to the World Series. Our goal is to win it. That's been my mind-set since I've come up and it never change."

--Derek Jeter, captain and shortstop of the New York Yankees.

PASSION

"The one thing that I noticed very early on in 1996 is that he had as much fun playing this game as anyone I've ever seen," said manager Joe Girardi, who played with Jeter from 1996-99. "The amazing thing is that he did it from Day One. It wasn't like he took a couple of years to do it. He did it right away."

CONSISTENCY UNDER PRESSURE

He was the leadoff hitter for the best team in baseball in 2009 (103 wins), and the player most trusted to come through in the moments when the Yankees need it most.

"I try to get better every year," Jeter said. "I try to contribute and I try to be consistent."

Look at the career postseason leader boards in most offensive categories and you'll see that most of the top performers have had 50 or 100 plate appearances in the playoffs. Jeter's had 576. He's played nearly a full season of pressure games and enters this year's ALCS with a .311 average, .380 on-base percentage and 45 extra-base hits.

Jeter hit .412 in his very first postseason series, a Division Series win over the Texas Rangers in 1996. He was 22 and batting ninth. Jeter went 4-for-10 against the Minnesota Twins from the leadoff spot in his 26th October series in 2009.

In Game 1, he was on base four times and hit the first postseason home run at the new Yankee Stadium. In Game 2, he doubled and scored a run to draw the Yankees level in the sixth inning. In Game 3, he went 1-for-4 but made a critical -- and unusual -- play in the field to squash the Twins' best opportunity to tie the game in the eighth.

THE JETER LEGACY

"He just gets it done," Jorge Posada, Yankees veteran catcher said. "He just gets it done always."

Every postseason game, every at-bat, every hit furthers Jeter's legacy as one of the best ever in the playoffs. He's played more games than anyone (124), had more hits than anyone (155) and scored more runs than anyone (88). His home run hitting power even seems to increase in the fall. He has 18 postseason homers, tying him with Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle for third all-time, behind Bernie Williams (22) and Manny Ramirez (28).

Does Jeter's way of playing baseball have an effect on the Yankees' opponents?

"I hate it when I play against them, but I do enjoy watching the way they play. They are professionals. They are baseball players."

-- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, talking about his envious thoughts about the Yankees.

Excerpts from MLB.com (10/06/2009), Newsday.com (10/07/2009), New York Post (10/12/2009), Westchester (N.Y.) Journal News (10/14/2009).

How Does Jeter Do It? 

KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid

"I think that's where people get in trouble, when they start complicating things. It's really not that complicated. The more complicated you make it; the more difficult it is on you. You're playing a game where you fail more than you succeed. You've got to try to keep it as simple as possible."
-- Derek Jeter, discussing the essence of his ability to consistently perform at a peak level.

"Jeter is the most relaxed person that I've seen in the postseason. I would relate him to the way Ron Guidry approached it or Catfish Hunter or Mariano Rivera. There's a relaxed way to go about playing. At the same time, there's tension. You have to be mentally and physically alert. Jeter is always ready.

"The postseason is not just another game so you're not going to play it the same way. You're going to be nervous. There are going to be butterflies. But Jeter understands how to control the butterflies by getting them in the right formation. He does that very well.

"When you look across the room and you see #2 on your team, you know he's going to be ready. You know he's going to be calm. Everyone sees that and it makes them calm, too. The leader of all of this is Jeter. I put him on a high level as a postseason player."

--Famed major league baseball legend Reggie Jackson, talking about the calm approach Jeter takes to the game of baseball.

"Derek is the same person every day. He just seems to be able to play the game every day and not really concern himself with what it looks like as much as what the results are. And he's very unique in that regard."

--former New York Yankee manager Joe Torre, discussing Derek Jeter's approach to his high-level and consistent baseball performance.

Positive Outlook and Long-Range Vision

The Jeter Mentality

"I'm optimistic by nature. Even when things are going poorly, you've got to find something positive. You have to. Because if you get caught up in being negative all the time, you'll never get out of any kind of funk."

--Derek Jeter, discussing the value of positive thinking.

"I don't think about it, really. All I try to do, pretty much is to be consistent. I don't try to overanalyze anything. I don't try to sit back and say, you’re doing this and that. I just try to consistently help out every day.

"You look at it that way, especially when things are going bad, you're able to get out of it, because you're not concerning yourself with how you're doing individually.

"When the season's over, you get a chance to reflect on what happened during the season. One you sit around and start talking about what you've done, that's when you're in trouble. You always strive to do something better."

--Derek Jeter, discussing his anti-analysis approach during the season.

This Peak Performance Case Study was originally published in my book, Razor Thin:  The Difference Between Winning and Losing (2012).  

Spurs' Tony Parker Appreciates the Moment (VIDEO)

''When I was 21 and I won my first one, it was kind of fast and we think it's going to happen every year. We think it's easy. But after a lot of years in the league, you realize it's really hard to go to the finals,'' Parker said. ''Now we take nothing for granted. We appreciate every moment, and we'll see what happens." 

--Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, talking about the Spurs return to NBA Finals in 2013.

Parker may have solidified his place in NBA history with his clutch leadership, particularly in the fourth quarter, and his buzzer-beating circus shot to clinch Game One of the 2013 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.  His mastery as the point guard of the San Antonio Spurs, led to a crucial road win in which the Spurs only had 4 turnovers the entire game.  If Parker continues as he has in the playoffs so far, he will win his second NBA Finals MVP trophy as well as his fourth NBA championship as a member of the Spurs.

Parker has matured and takes nothing for granted.  

However, there is a long way to go and the Miami Heat have a history of coming back after a loss both in the regular season and the Finals. Enjoy the series!

Excerpt from yahoo.com (6/5/2013).

San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat Square Off in the 2013 NBA Finals

“Those three guys have a lot of character and they make it easy for whoever we bring in to adjust and understand their role on the team. They help me do my job.

“Actually, it’s more important what they do than what I do as far as making those players feel comfortable, not intimidating them and giving them the time and the space to form their own games around them. They’re responsible for allowing that to happen over the years."

--Gregg Popovich, talking about the Big Three of the San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, the evolution of the franchise and its winning tradition.

The 2013 NBA Finals will begin tonight. This much anticipated match-up will pit the NBA most consistent and respected franchise of the last 15 years, the San Antonio Spurs; against perhaps the most scrutinized, criticized, and talented team in the league the past three years, the Miami Heat.

The Heat have the MVP and best player in the world, LeBron James. James can single-handedly take over a game and a series. The Spurs have an experienced, well-oiled machine that relies on precision, execution, and team play.

 Asked to explain the team’s continuous success, Popovich said: “It’s a total function of who those three guys are. What if they were jerks? What if they were selfish? What if one of them was, you know, unintelligent? But the way it works out, all three of them are highly intelligent. They all have great character.”

The San Antonio Spurs have been maligned for years for being old and boring, too long in the tooth to be considered serious championship contenders. However, it has been the Miami Heat that have looked old and tired in their Eastern Conference final against the Indiana Pacers. The Spurs' last NBA championship was earned in 2007, while the Heat are defending champions. Despite having the NBA's best regular season record including the second longest winning streak in NBA history, the Spurs appear to have the momentum and an increasingly strong support base in the media. 

The Spurs bring a structure, a system, a culture and a strategic approach to sustained winning that has been unmatched in all of sports in the last three decades. Will this be enough to overcome a team brought together via free agency to win and win now? Will an organization built for the long haul be able to beat a superstar-oriented team of hired guns?

We have as many as seven games to watch and learn. Enjoy the battle. 

Excerpts from nytimes.com (06/02/2013 & 06/05/2013).

Serena Williams Having Fun at the French Open

"Just looking back at a few of my matches years ago and looking now, I definitely feel like I'm getting into that zone that I have always wanted to be in, and I feel a lot better about it.

"I have been playing a lot more tennis. I have been spending more time on the court.

"I felt this past year coming back I had nothing to lose and just really wanted to enjoy my career. In the past when I played I was always so stressed out and always wanted to win, win, win.

"And now I'm definitely having a lot more fun than what I used to have on the court and really enjoying every moment of me walking out there. So I think that definitely makes a big difference." 

--Serena Williams, discussing her mindset at the beginning of the French Open. 

On Tuesday, Serena reached the semifinals of the French Open by defeating fellow former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at Stade Roland Garros.

The 31-year-old Williams held off the unseeded Kuznetsova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, as the American overcame a 0-2 deficit in the final set.
Since last year's French Open which she did not win, Williams has lost only three of the 70 singles matches she has played, winning 10 tournaments, including Wimbledon and the Olympics.

The only surprise was the upset in the Australian Open quarter-finals, when she was beaten by fellow American Sloane Stephens, although an ankle injury was certainly a factor.

"Sometimes I think, 'Should I be happy that I lost last year?'.

"You never know what can happen in your career and why things happen.

"So it's been great for me just realizing that every match counts. I have always realized that, but also realizing what I need to do to get better and to stay on top and to be the best tennis player that I can be."

Roland Garros has not been a lucky venue for Williams, with her only title and only finals appearance coming 11 years ago, when she beat sister Venus.

"I just remember going into the final," she said. "I definitely didn't expect to win, so I think that made me really calm and really relaxed.

"I felt like, 'Okay, I'm not going to win this match, but I'm going to go out there and have fun'. Next thing I know I was winning.

"I won the first set, and I thought I could win it after that. So learning from that, I think I can learn about just how relaxed I was. I felt no pressure and no anything. I just felt really good."

Could her attitude lead to a French Open victory?  

Excerpts from foxnews.com (6/4/2013).

Tim Duncan and The San Antonio Spurs Defy Critics and Age

"Timmy has been a consummate professional from the day he got into the league. This isn't anything new for him, playing with the passion he's playing with. He loves basketball, he loves his teammates, and he decided again he needed to be more aggressive when the overtime period came." 

--Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, discussing the high level of play that his All-Star center, Tim Duncan, has displayed as a 37-year old veteran in these 2013 NBA playoffs. Duncan was particularly effective during times that the team needed his scoring during crunch time in their playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies. 

The San Antonio Spurs are in their fifth NBA Finals since 1999. They are 4-0 in NBA Finals. Last night, they swept the Grizzlies, a team that was expected by many to win the series. San Antonio has been in eight NBA Western Conference Finals in the last 15 years. During that time, the Spurs have had a regular season winning percentage of just over 70% and have 71 more wins that any other NBA team.  

 

Experience is a key factor in the Spurs success.
 
“We’ve been together for a long time,” first team 2013 All-NBA player Duncan said. “We have a lot of plays to work from and a lot of experience to work from.” 

Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have played in 28 playoff series together, winning 97 postseason games. Only the Los Angeles Lakers' combination of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper won more.

Head Coach Gregg Popovich has experience and his confidence in his players to rely upon.

“I have a great deal of confidence in them,” coach Gregg Popovich said. They’ve earned that. They’ve been together, they’re all very competitive. They may or may not do something perfectly, but they’re going to do it to the best of their ability. That allows one to go to bed at night and deal with whatever the consequences are.”

“We don’t panic,” Tony Parker, who scored 37 points in the clinching game against the Grizzlies said after Game 3. “We know what we want to do. We made a lot of great plays at the end of the game last night.”

Ginobili described it as "corporate knowledge," an institutional memory that resides in this trio that has played together for more than a decade.

“We know how we feel without even having to say a word,” Ginobili said. “And that’s important. And we have five pieces that are very important to what we do that are new.”

As the team has aged, the Spurs have had a successful transfusion of new blood into their team. Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green have contributed in their roles as playoff contributors of rebounding, defense and 3-point shooting. However, the core of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili keep the whole thing together.

“It’s the core group and new pieces, just being altruistic and trying to help out,” Ginobili said. “Pop being very communicative and very clear on what he wants. It’s the whole package. But of course, Tony, Tim, Pop and me, we know each other very well and it’s easy to communicate.” 

The Spurs emphasize team play, flexibility and unselfishness, a lesson that the Memphis Grizzlies will try to learn.  

“They play so well together that any adjustment we'd make, they'd make another one,” Memphis point guard Mike Conley said. “We'd play them well for about 18 seconds on the shot clock and then [Parker would] make a play. You know, that's why he's one of the best and they're headed to the Finals.”

 

“They hit the big shots, they got the big stops, they had an answer for every run,” Memphis' Quincy Pondexter said in admiration. “That’s a championship team. We’re going to learn from the things they do.”

 

“We will learn,” Memphis center Marc Gasol confirmed. “We have already started learning. They do a little bit of everything.”

 

“They play basketball the way it’s supposed to be played,” Pondexter continued.

As with every other Spurs team, aggressive defense is a defining element.  

“It's just effort. There's no magic,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said of his interior defense. “We didn't come up with some new defense to guard them. But we were aggressive, we did a lot of denying, a lot of pressure on the passer who was trying to deliver the ball, whether it was high-low or from the wing, and we fronted and three-quartered and showed a lot of looks on the post.”

 

Finally, the Spurs have one meaningful intangible: motivation.  The team has a vow that keeps them focused.  The players want to win a fifth NBA championship for Tim Duncan. 

 

“I think everybody on the team,” Parker said, “we really wanted to do it for him.”

Excerpts from NBCsports.msnbc.com (5/28//2013) SBNation.com (5/28/2013), LAtimes.com (5/28/2013), HuffingtonPost.com (5/26/2013).ESPN.com (5/26/2013).

Eric Spoelstra & The Miami Heat: Fighting Human Nature

"There is an objective lens.  We just need to make the most educated decisions on what's real and what wasn't real. Part of it just might have been Chicago and what they brought to the game.

"There are no shortcuts to it.  You can't cheat the game. So you have to work at it. We had a day like [Friday] where you're almost a week out from competing and you're coming off a very intense series. Your natural reaction is not to want to come in here and really get after it and sweat and condition." 

--Eric Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, discussing what he learned from the playoff series with the Chicago Bulls.

The Miami Heat were upset by the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their playoff series. The Heat bounced back to take 4 straight games from the Bulls to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Spoelstra is focused on learning from that series and reviewing what went right and what went wrong during that series.  

Despite having one of the most talented teams in the NBA, Spoelstra does all that he can to fight complacency and prepare himself and his team to win. The Heat is awaiting the winner of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers.    

For more, click on:  "Heat Wants to be Ready for Game 1 This Time Around" (SunSentinel.com, May 17, 2013).

Resilience: Embracing the Past, Anticipating the Future, Enjoying the Moment

After watching the first playoff game of the NBA Western Conference semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors, I began thinking of the significance of this series.  It was an extremely exciting game that included a career-defining performance by the Warriors' Steph Curry, a characteristically masterful and successful comeback by the San Antonio Spurs, and game-winning shot by Manu Ginobili.  The Spurs relied on their championship pedigree to maintain home-court advantage if only for the moment.  Some have said that it has been the game of this years' playoffs.    

However, what was more striking were the many similarities and only subtle contrast in playing styles of the two teams and individual stars, the personalities and philosophies of the teams and organizations. This comparison has led me to share with you an interesting snapshot of the NBA at this moment in time and, perhaps, what has contributed to my appreciation of the sport.  

The San Antonio Spurs continue to remain at the top of NBA franchises in winning tradition, success, results, and longevity.  During their long-time competitiveness, they have evolved from a tough-nosed defensive-minded team to a more well-rounded team with a more balanced approach. This approach has incorporated a speedier, smaller, more European style of play that not only incorporated that style but intelligently scouted and drafted European players to execute for them. As other franchises experience ups-and-down over the years, the Spurs consistently compete, excel and win as the times change.

By contrast, without the same tradition of winning as the Spurs, the Golden State Warriors have been become a media and fan darling this season as Steph Curry has emerged as a fearless shooter who has unlimited range and uncanny accuracy, releasing quick jump shots from distances that past players have only tried in desperate, buzzer-beating situations.

The Warriors play an up-tempo, quick-passing, quick-shooting style also mimicking the Europeans.  Unlike the Spurs mix of veterans and young players, most of the regulars on the Warriors team are quite young and inexperienced.  The Bay area fans of the Warriors seem more like a crowd one might see at a international soccer match, loud and on the verge of coming unglued after every Warrior basket or opponent mistake.  Though the Spurs fans have always been loud and enthusiastic, the Warriors fans have taken it to another level.  

What I see is the evolution of the NBA in microcosm.  Though the Spurs may or may not win this series, I can see the future of the NBA in the Warriors.  The Warriors, perhaps by design, have taken the Spurs approach one step farther than the Spurs.  While not quite equaling the discipline, structure, flow and consistency of the Spurs, the Warriors have begun to use more of the court and increase the overall range that the offense can comfortably utilize use to run, pass and shoot.  The youth, athleticism, and vision of the Warriors, modeled and led by Curry, allows for that increase. It appears more haphazard, spontaneous and chaotic than the Spurs, but that is what evolution looks like, at first.    

This process of evolution has also increased the possibilities, potential and long-range resilience of the teams in the NBA. The downside is that is has also increased the risk as more individuals playing in this environment are being felled by crippling injuries.  This is also a part of the evolution of the sport and the league.

This series could be a long, highly entertaining, competitive, contested, back-and-forth affair, with highs and lows for both teams.  The winner will be the team that can be more resilient.  The winner will be the team that can:

1.  Embrace the past and understand where they and other teams have learned from champions and where they have come from.
2.  Display flexibility and be able to adapt to what their opponents are doing, the fans are reacting to, fatigue, injury, etc.
3.  Anticipate the future and be at least a step or two ahead of their opponent.
4.  Enjoy the moment by effectively dealing with the pressure and stress of the demands and expectations of a championship playoff series.

Prediction:  Spurs in 7 games.

Panic: Abandoning The Strategy or Staying the Course

Happily, the Atlanta Braves started the season 12-1. They began Sunday with a two-game lead in the National League East. During their hot start they displayed great pitching and tremendous home run hitting. Justin Upton leads the major leagues with 12 home runs.

However, since the 12-1 start, the Braves have lost 11 of 16 games. The fans are restless and the team is questioning itself. Many people have questioned the team's power-focused, home run-or-bust mentality. As the losing slump began, Atlanta had six straight games with double-digit strikeouts, including three games in Detroit in which they totaled 39. They lead in the N.L. in strikeouts (266) and are tied for first in home runs (40).

Using this approach, the Braves' hitters are striking out 9.2 times a game, which puts them on a pace to become the second team to strike out more than 1,400 times in a season. The Braves have won just one game in which they did not hit a home run. It is not as if the Braves are undisciplined free swingers. They draw their share of walks — they are tied for fourth in the N.L.

Those that support the Braves' exciting, yet frustrating strategy, point out the fact that six-time All-Star Brian McCann has not played since off-season shoulder surgery, Jason Heyward is on the disabled list after an appendectomy, and second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielder B. J. Upton have not been hitting well at all. It is possible that when the team gets healthy, its hitting and power will reach new levels of efficiency and lead to more winning.

The team stands 17-12 with almost a fifth of the season gone. They have a .586 winning percentage.

Should the Atlanta Braves start panicking? Should they abandon the strategy upon which the team was built?

The Braves may not have another 12-1 streak in them this season. However, the organization built this team for power and pitching. They spent much time researching data, obtaining talent, and making the decision about their plan for the season. In preparation for this season, the team committed to this approach. If they built it, they should use it. It is entirely too early to change their strategy. They must show confidence in the strategy and the players they obtained to execute the strategy. The Braves should not panic.

There is a much greater risk in changing anything major at this point in the season. With this personnel, a shift in strategy is much more likely to jeopardize the entire season than would staying the course. Ride out the season. Keep the fans excitement high. Power, home runs and pitching will keep the fans coming. The challenge is in executing the plan. It is not time to abandon the strategy that plays to the strengths of the team. Keep the faith.

The Kevin Garnett Mentality: Ready to Work (Video)

Do you have this passion, focus and energy?

Watch and learn.

Shut Up and Be Happy That He is Happy: The Courage of Jason Collins

The NBA's Jason Collins is a very courageous man.  I respect and support what he has done (not that he has asked me).  I apologize for us making it so difficult and for it to have taken so long. I can't imagine the struggle of having to keep such a "secret" to oneself for so long.  

However, the news isn't that he is gay.  The news is that some of us still think that we were better off when he was in the closet.  Some of us think Jason Collins was better off staying in the closet. There are people who somehow think that we were better off not knowing.  Perhaps, some of us feel better protected and safer when he was in the closet.

All we know is that he decided to inform us that he is primarily attracted to men.  Period.  Not because we needed to know, but because he needed relief from being someone who he knew he wasn't.  He almost married a woman, at least partly because he thought we needed him to.

Some of us condemn him for his choices.  Evidence strongly suggests that he is no more in control of his sexual preferences that the rest of us. How he deals with those preferences, now that is another matter.

We don't know who he has slept with.  It's none of my business.  It's none of our business what consenting adult he sleeps with in the future.  His twin brother, Jarron, doesn't know who he slept with or didn't sleep with.  Nevertheless, there are people who think that Jason is a sinner (because of what he has chosen to reveal about himself, not because of what he has done or not done with his preferences).

Coming out is not a crime or a sin.  The real sin is shunning or condemning a man without knowing the man or his actions.  There are people who feel that Jason Collins has violated their religious beliefs and their moral code.  Despite living in a country founded on and based on religious freedom, some of us continue to deny others that right.

I respect you, Jason Collins, for lifting the burden off of your shoulders in spite of the possible dangers and consequences that we insist on creating for you.  Let's hope that it helps others to unburden themselves of their secrets (whether they inform us publicly or not).

Also, thank you for putting up a mirror to our own sense of values and ethics.  Are we ready to accept and support a gay athlete?  I trust most of us are.  Most importantly, I hope we can live up to your courage.
    

  


 

Kevin Garnett: Unwavingly High Standards

One of the crucial personality and behavioral characteristics of peak performers is "unwaveringly high standards."

The Boston Celtics are the most storied and successful team in NBA history. Banners hang from the rafters in their new arena depicting their past glory and multiple championships.

In 2007, Boston Celtics went 24-58, easily missing the playoffs. Included in this horrible season was an 18-game losing streak.

One year later, the Celtics began the 2007-2008 season with a 30-4 record, a team record, and the fourth best start in NBA history. The season end with the Celtics taking the NBA championship home with them.

Danny Ainge, the Boston Celtics' general manager acquired Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics and eight-time NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves. These acquisitions, designed to instantly turnaround and re-invent a stagnant franchise, have been celebrated for fast results and a completely different team climate.

The team appeared to have a renewed focus and a sense of pride not existent in recent years in Boston. What could be the reason? Many think it is Kevin Garnett. 

Kevin Garnett Getting Ready to Do Battle

"KG is unique in that regard. It's important to his game to get himself pumped up, to make sure when he steps on the court that it is the most important thing in his life for 48 minutes. He might be the best at it.

"Maybe it's a function of my age, but I kind of like it. Amusing isn't the right word, because that's too flippant. More like intriguing, or interesting. Any coach would love a player as focused as Kevin."

--San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, on how Kevin Garnett gets himself ready for games. 

The Difference in the Boston Celtics:  KG's Leadership

"This is my seventh year in the NBA. I've been to the finals twice, and those teams were great. But they were not like this team. And the reason why is Kevin Garnett.

"The media perception about Garnett is real. When Kevin walks into the facility and the weight room, he jokes around and makes fun of guys. But then about 15 minutes before practice, it's all focus. It's all work."

"If he is not clear about something, we don't move on until we are all clear. He solves a lot of problems. I mean, I've played with good players. I played with Jason Kidd, and Kidd is an incredible gamer. But he was never as demanding of his teammates the way Kevin is. Not half as much. Not a quarter as much."

"The impact of one person can be immense. It's much larger than in any other sport. So when you add Kevin Garnett, the defensive intelligence he brings is huge. It's not just that he's adding 20 points and 10 rebounds a night. There are other guys who can get you 20 and 10 who are not the player that he is. He demands a different level of focus from everybody."

--Brian Scalabrine, veteran NBA forward who played on the 2006-2007 Celtic team.

Taken from PLAY Magazine, March 2008.

 
Can High Standards Affect A Team's Culture?:  The KG Effect

"The whole face of the Celtics turned around when the trade happened with this guy. Everyone talks about MVP, and they talk about numbers, but this guy has changed the whole culture around here."
--Paul Pierce, veteran Boston Celtic all-star.

from ESPN.com, 3/27/08

.
Ubuntu

South African concept of selflessness, unity and teamwork

"When the team is elevated, the individual is elevated; when the team is diminished, the individual is diminished."

"The strength of a team is its players; the strength of the players is the team."

Ubuntu is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of Southern Africa. Ubuntu is seen as a traditional African concept.

Ubuntu was introduced to the Boston Celtics by head coach Doc Rivers. The Celtics have chanted "ubuntu" when breaking a huddle since the start of the 2007-2008 season. It proved to be successful as Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and veteran Celtic Paul Pierce blended their talents with the other teammates to win an NBA championship. The championship was an example of great individual talent yielding to the team concept.

"A person is a person through another person. I can't be all I can be unless you are all you can be.

"There's an amazing amount of hurt that goes with that. The only way you're going to win is that you've got to open yourself up to hurt. You've got to open yourself up and go for it. You may have to pass more, you may have to set an extra pick you may have to dive on the floor for a loose ball.

"You can't do it by yourself. Individuals don't win, teams win."

--Doc Rivers.

Excerpts from the New York Times and Wikipedia, 10/5/2008.

Marcus Lattimore Tries Another Comeback

"Adversity Introduces a Man to Himself."  

--Marcus Lattimore, former University of South Carolina running back.

Despite one serious knee injury, Lattimore was projected to be the most coveted collegiate running back in the 2013 NFL draft as the 2012 college football season opened.  However, during that season, he injured his knee for the second time in as many years in a game against the Tennessee Volunteers.  He torn three ligaments and many thought his professional football was over before it began.

Lattimore is engaged in the second major rehabilitation of his football life and reportedly working as hard as ever to prepare for the NFL.

Today, Lattimore is anxiously waiting to see if NFL teams will take a chance on him.  

Excerpts from ESPN.com (April 25, 2013).  For more, including video, click on:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/story/_/id/9210209/2013-nfl-draft-marcus-lattimore-vows-ready-week-1

Injury Recovery and the Elite Athlete: Can and Will Kobe Bryant Recover and Come Back to the NBA?

NOTE:  This post was researched and written prior to the Boston Marathon bombing.  My heart goes out to the victims and families that have been harmed by this tragedy.  I hope that this post assists in their healing.  The article is not intended in any way to diminish or show disrespect or ignorance of the personal sensitivity and pain endured during this period of grief.  

Here is Kobe Bryant's entire Facebook post following his season-ending achilles tendon injury:

"This is such BS! All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I've done millions of times! The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen ?!? Makes no damn sense. Now I'm supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??  I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me...Then again maybe not! It's 3:30am, my foot feels like dead weight, my head is spinning from the pain meds and I'm wide awake. Forgive my Venting but what's the purpose of social media if I won't bring it to you Real No Image?? Feels good to vent, let it out. To feel as if THIS is the WORST thing EVER! Because After ALL the venting, a real perspective sets in. There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.

One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day.
"If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear". Ive always loved that quote. Thats "mamba mentality" we don't quit, we don't cower, we don't run. We endure and conquer.
I know it's a long post but I'm Facebook Venting LOL. Maybe now I can actually get some sleep and be excited for surgery tomorrow. First step of a new challenge.
Guess I will be Coach Vino the rest of this season. I have faith in my teammates. They will come thru.
Thank you for all your prayers and support. Much Love Always.
Mamba Out"

Many people have seen this Facebook entry.  What is important to recognize is that Kobe Bryant went through all the stages of grief in one fell swoop in his Facebook rant. Rarely do we get to see the human vulnerability of a superstar immediately after an injury or any other type of trauma. It was a very personal and instructional look into the mindset of a very, mentally tough individual.

The five stages, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up our reaction to loss.

This social media entry gives us an idea of what it takes for any athlete to recover and deal with a serious injury, regardless of the level of play or expertise.  However, it also gives us a special and unique insight as to the resilient mindset of an elite athlete.

“Generally speaking, these elite athletes go through an initial period of anger, and usually that’s pretty quick. They don’t dwell on that long. Then they get resolved to, what’s my best way to get back? Once that switch flips, they generally speaking do not want to waste any time. At that point, they want it done now. Rarely will you see anybody delay.”

--Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship program at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. the doctor who performed surgery on Kobe Bryant’s ruptured Achilles tendon.

The doctor expects the Los Angeles Lakers star to be back playing at some point next NBA season. Speaking exclusively to the Los Angeles Times, Dr. ElAttrache said Sunday that Bryant’s competitive drive and mental toughness will give him an edge in recovering from an injury that figures to sideline him at least six to nine months.

"We're talking about a unique competitive spirit," said Jeff Van Gundy, a former NBA coach who is an ESPN analyst. "A great player."

"He had the determination to become a great player," Van Gundy said. "Also a love of the game which not many guys are able to retain after so many years."

It remains to be seen if Kobe Bryant can come back from this serious injury.  It will take time and much mental and physical hard work.  If this glimpse of his grief process, his competitive fire and mental toughness is a good clue, he will give it all that he has. 

  

Excerpts from TMZ.com (April 13, 2013), latimes.com and thespec.com (April 14, 2013).

Miami Heat's Ray Allen is "Automatic"

"Shoot your same shot over and over, and don't have wasted shots.  That's one thing we all noticed. Anytime we're just shooting around, or even playing a game of H-O-R-S-E, he's serious, he's shooting the shot he's going to shoot in the game.

"Whether he's joking around or not, he shoots the same shot. I find myself telling myself, 'Shoot your same shot all the time,' because for him, his shot is automatic."

--Norris Cole, Miami Heat guard, discussing teammate Ray Allen's approach to shooting.

Excerpt from espn.go.com (April 12, 2013).

The Mental Conditioning of Tomas Berdych

“What I’ve been really trying to work on is mental strength and preparation for every single match. They are very important aspects of today’s game. Especially now. Everybody can play a good forehand and backhand. There is no difference at all. It’s really just about the small details and one of them is the mental preparation, which I’ve been trying to improve. I believe I did so, but you can improve these aspects a lot. I hope this is something that can take me higher.

“There’s a lot you can say about that really. It’s concentration in the match. It’s also what you do around: how you deal with the situations on court and off court. It’s not only about once you step on the court. It’s been the work of my team. Part of it has definitely been my tennis coach. He can help me with that as well. I’ve also been working with one guy, not a sports psychologist as such, but a mental coach, which is a little bit different than a psychologist. It works, quite well. I’ve been working with him for two or three years.” 

--Tomas Berdych, tennis pro, who is improving ever year and becoming a force on the professional tour. 

Berdych beat Roger Federer and Roger Federer en route to the 2010 Wimbledon final, only to lose to Rafael Nadal. Since then, Berdych has become a Top 10 tennis player. This year, in 2013, he has reached back-to-back ATP World Tour finals at the Open 13 in Marseille (in which he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga) and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, (in which he lost to Novak Djokovic). He has won 14 of his 18 matches. His goal is to continue to close the gap on the likes of the big 4, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

Can he do it?  Will mental conditioning help?

Let's look at the general techniques often used in mental conditioning:

Autogenic Relaxation – autogenic also known as self-generated training has the power to actually alter your neural pathways as you change your behavior. Autogenic relaxation is a kind of self-hypnosis that enables you to root positive phrases and mental images in your unconscious. It brings your mind and feelings into harmony with your body as you take on and adjust to new behaviors.

Visualization – visualization is your ability to imagine in your mind certain situations. It not only includes visually seeing the events happening but also allows you to feel like you are almost in the situation. All five senses are present in the visualization including sound, smell, touch, etc. Visualization is a powerful tool when used in a positive matter. However, in many cases athletes replay negative events causing a negative effect on performance. The more vivid the visualization the more it attaches to your memory.

Affirmations and Positive Self-Talk – Affirmations are positive statements that you can use to replace your negative mind-chatter. Using affirmations can be a powerful way to transform many of your old attitudes and expectations into positive and vibrant ones.  These affirmations will allow you to take control of your self-talk and internal dialogue that can contribute to your performance.

Neuromuscular Coordination – muscle/brain imprinting through controlled plyometrics, body and motor control training helps "train the brain" to react naturally and unconsciously when brought into a real playing situation. Slow motions that imprint movements that are consistent with the sport will improve overall efficiency.

Do you do any of these techniques regularly?  There are more and more studies that suggest that these techniques are very valuable to the young athlete.  

For more information, contact us now.  404-357-7335. 

Excerpt from "Tomas Berdych:  The Mental Game,"  by Robert Davis," ATPworldtour.com (February 5, 2013).